Motif Review: ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST: MADNESS IS DIVINEST SENSE by Michael Bilow

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“Director David Blessinger made wise choices in staging Cuckoo’s Nest on two levels and creating distinct spaces, one more intimate with the audience where much of the action with the patients takes place and the other more removed where much of the action with the staff takes place. Two particularly interesting casting choices were Faiella, according to the program in real life a nurse for 44 years, as Nurse Ratched and Willis, in real life a URI psychology professor, as Dr. Spivey. Some of the supporting cast are very good, notably Aponte as Mancini whose hallucinations sometimes cleverly allow him to “see” the audience through the fourth wall, perfectly meshing with the theme of the insanity of the patients often arising out of their struggles to stay sane in impossible circumstances and thereby giving them insight to greater truth. Lively as Bibbit and Lee as Harding carry difficult roles well, especially as the former must affect a stutter that increases in intensity with his state of submission to Ratched. Of necessity, however, the play belongs to Faiella who manages just the right sneer as Ratched, to R. Campbell who demonstrates irrepressible excitement as McMurphy, and to MacAskill who literally rises to the occasion as the giant Bromden.

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is very much in keeping with cerebral and intellectually challenging productions from Attleboro Community Theatre, such as The Man from Earth last season. The novel and play are with their greater focus on Bromden considerably more optimistic in tone than the film. It’s an excellent and well-acted production.”